FORMER Newcastle councillor Bob Cook has dismissed criticism of his Australia Day honour from supporters of the Laman Street figs, defending “every single thing” he did during the controversy.
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Mr Cook became a nemesis to the Save Our Figs movement with his persistent prosecution of the case to remove the street’s 14 fig trees that were eventually cut down amid a near-riot in 2012.
Veterans of Save Our Figs reacted with disbelief this week to Mr Cook being awarded the Order of Australia “for service to heritage preservation and the community”.
“It’s ironic that he gets this award when he was so proactive in making sure the figs were destroyed,” figs advocate Debbi Long said.
“His heritage work with the former BHP site may have been commendable, but his heritage record has been badly tarnished by his role in the desecration of Laman Street.”
Save Our Figs’s Roz Ramplin said she would never forgive Mr Cook for walking “through the demonstrators as they cried during the chainsawing, with his hands behind his back, telling anti-fig people what a wonderful day it was”.
Mr Cook, who worked at the BHP for 36 years and was awarded the OAM for his work as president of the Newcastle Industrial Heritage Association, said he was neither surprised nor bothered by the criticism.
“I stand by every single thing I ever did in relation to the figs, and it has proved to be the right thing to do,” Mr Cook said.
“They have their view, and that is the nature of democracy. My opinion is they should write to the Governor General and tell him to take it off me.”
Mr Cook grew in stature as a figure in the figs furore when he released a point-by-point YouTube video making the case for the trees’ removal, described as “infamous” by Save Our Figs.
Some of Mr Cook’s opponents from his four years on Newcastle City Council questioned the award.
Former Greens councillor John Sutton said it was a “surprise”.
Current Greens councillor Michael Osborne said he hadn’t read the citation for giving Mr Cook the award, but that the decision was “very curious”.
“It is surprising given the number of development decisions he supported,” Cr Osborne said.
“I do think whoever hands out these awards needs to look at someone’s entire record.”
The council debated the Laman Street figs amid two years of legal wrangling and spent more than $1 million on legal fees, site security and other costs before the trees fell in January 2012.
